It's a food fight! Philly has Pat's and Geno's, West Chester has Lorenzo's and Jimmy C's.
The contenders:
In this corner, we have Lorenzo’s.
In town for almost 15 years.
Originally located on High Street, they have a solid client base and a seasoned owner.
Lorenzo’s Steaks & Hoagies
www.lorenzossteaksandhoagies.com
216 E Market St
West Chester
(610) 696-5660
In this corner, we have Jimmy C’s Steaks.
In town for about 2 1/2 weeks.
Owned by fresh out of college 22 year old Jim Curtis.
Jimmy C’s Steaks
211 E Market St
West Chester, PA 19382
(484) 266-0343
Talk on the street:
“I’m rocking out with Lorenzo’s all the way. There is enough meat on a mini to make four sandwiches at home. I love em.” Tonoa and friends
“Jimmy C’s is just good. I don’t care who has been here longer. I like how it tastes, it’s all in the cheese sauce.” – Rich
Lorenzo’s
Not only have they been around for almost 15 years, but they also have a huge selection of hand-sliced meat and cheese hoagies that have people asking “where’s the roll?” You can actually order items with “less meat” if you are so inclined. They serve hoagies, salads, wings, steaks, burgers and breakfast sandwiches.
Hours:
Sunday-Wednesday 9am- 9pm, Thursday 9am-10pm, Friday 9am-3am.
How much meat?
A “regular” cheesesteak has 8oz of chopped rib eye cut daily and is cooked with onions and peppers. It’s very filling on the roll and in your belly.
Prices:
Minis (6″) is $4.01- Large (22″) $11.20
Top Sellers:
American Cheesesteaks and Italian Hoagies
Inside:
No seating available to dine-in, Lord of the Rings Pinball Machine and a Claw Drop game.
Last Words:
“We thought it’d be healthy competition. We have solid customer retention and everything is fresh and hand sliced. Anyone can say anything about how to make a real cheesesteak but I think how they make it is a bit of a novelty steak. I wouldn’t want to be the guy that opens up across from the “King of Steaks” but in Chester County but we will welcome the competition.” – Drew
Jimmy C’s
Owner Jim and partner have been getting cheese steaks in Philly since they were 6 or 7 years old, and after attending WCU, decided that West Chester needed a cheesesteak place with steaks made the way they are supposed to be made. What does that mean? Slices of rib eye steak grilled and topped with or without fried onions and your choice of cheese sauce. Choose from American, Whiz or Pepper Jack cheese sauce (he pours it over the steak like a rich alfredo sauce) and served on a hard roll to sop up all the goodness. They serve cheesesteaks, chicken cheesesteaks, fries and wings.
Hours:
Mon-Thursday 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-3am, Sun 11am-9pm.
How much meat?
Their steaks look like they have less meat but it’s just how it’s sliced. There is 9-10 oz of meat on each sandwich. They do not chop it all up together like other places they grill it in slices. The chicken is real chicken that is cut to order, the fries are all hand cut, and their wing sauces are all hand made.
Prices:
$6.60-10.75 “People have to eat and the economy will come back, this is quality food and it’s worth every bite.”
Top Sellers:
American Cheesesteak and the Garlic Parmesan Wings.
Inside:
Indoor seating available and bathroom. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 video game “the best game in the entire world” and a city scape mural on the wall.
Last words:
“Now that we are in West Chester you don’t have to drive 45 min into the city to get a real cheesesteak.”- Jim
So there you have it folks. While there are many places in Chester County to get a great cheesesteak (stay tuned for the upcoming competition we will be having for all locations) these two spots will be battling it out for traffic on Market Street. Both stores are looking forward to having you in to give them both a try for yourself. Go in and tell them you’re there for the taste off. Taste ‘em both and then vote on CC Cuisine and Nightlife facebook page with your vote.
May the best cheesesteak win.
11 Comments So Far
Full disclosure; have not been to Lorenzo's in while for reasons I'll get later.On 5/30/09 went to Jimmy's for a cheesesteak, what I got was something that will have me driving back to Philly and treating myself and others to the real thing.Among several problems was the roll. A roll whose chewiness felt like sinking my teeth into a wet sponge. No firmness or snap from the outer shell.The meat, while cooked throughly was flavorless, dry and not a hint of seasoning noted.The cheese? You can not believe they 'Pour' all thier choices .This wasn't WIZ either,which is offered, along with american and pepper jack.These are all 'cheese sauces'.Ask for Provolone and you get a blank stare.Turns out all thier 'cheese' offerings are poured, not sliced.Not very Philly like at all.After biting into thier 'Philly steak sandwich' and chewing and then chewing some more till my mouth tired of chewing through the rubbery meat, I decided that I still had to go to Philly to get the real thing.Sorry Lorenzos, but while your still better than Jimmys across the street, you've been deemed a suburban version of an authentic Cheesesteak. People should seek out Steve's, Jim's, Delasandro's, George's, Cosmi's, Frusco's, Tony Luke's, Chink's, Oregon Beef or the current fav John's Roast Pork, who has been judged the best by several as the 'Best of Philly Cheesesteaks'.Pat's and or Geno's are mear tourist traps offering surly service and only passable sandwiches, but still better than what you'll find here at Jimmys.
I enjoyed the cheesesteak , I am not normally a fan of the non chopped style but I found the meat to be really flavorful, I will for sure eat here before eating at Lorenzos …..
Please–New Haven's on South Church Street has had the best Cheese Steaks in DubC for over 30 years. What Flavor! And real cheese, not the cheese that is "poured on". This site gives way too much love to the new places in town!!
tried Jimmy C's last weekend…not all that impressed. The roll was like styrofoam, and if I wanted liquid cheese I would have ordered whiz. I'll give Lorenzo's a shot, and maybe one day I'll take WCJim's suggestion and try New Haven's. In the meantime, I really miss the FreshWorks' cheesesteak…
I am amazed at these responses …New Havens ? Seriously ? wow I would not buy anything in that place other than beer …and Fresh Works ? dirtiest place I have been in …I prefer Riggtown cheesesteak of anyone in town
Lorenzo’s has the best Hoagies in town! I think Brothers has the best chicken Cheese steaks in town with New Haven a close 2nd! I haven't tried Jimmy C's yet but will get back to you and let you know how they compare.
sm obron–you might see a few drunks getting their 40's, but, as a native DubCer, I've noticed that New Haven's flies under the radar. The oregano on the Cheesesteak makes such a difference when compared to Lorenzo's, which has more meat and much less flavor…Don't judge the book by its cover!!
WCJIM, I am not judging book by the cover , I have lived in the borough for more than 20 years ….I think New Haven is greasy with a soggy roll , I think the pizza has way too much I guess it is oregano ?? sorry not my taste , I guess we are all entitled to our opinios
Tried Lorenzo's today to pass the time while getting my car's oil changed. Not bad…definitely better than Jimmy C's. Roll is much tastier, and the cheese is melted, not poured.
Would be nice if they had someplace inside to sit down and eat. I ended up sitting on the bench in front of their shop, and just about lost my appetite when I had the unfortunate experience of watching a completely naked man walking down the sidewalk right past me. That's a story for another day…
Well I have had a Lorenzo’s Turkey hoagie before and sorry to break the news folks……packing as much meat and cheese as possible on to a roll does not equal a good hoagie. It tells you something when the customers actually ask for less meat.
I don’t know if its an American thing(more food the better) but I have notice people tend to give much higher reviews when they get a larger quantity of food. Primo’s has much better hoagies
Read this article so we tried Lorenzo's today. We usually go to Brothers or the City for steaks. We thought something closer to us and was good, wow that would be great. What a f*%k'n mistake that was. They said 20 minutes for our pick up time. we waited another 30 minutes once we arrived to even get our food. They hadn't even started our order! Steak, no seasoning at all and 12 oz. of meat – my ass! I opened up the huge wrapped roll – turned out to be mostly paper and bread. I actually took the meat off and weighed it – it was more like 4 oz. of meat and 1 oz. of cheese on a 6 oz. roll. The onions were undercooked and still had the paper like skin on them. Marinara sauce for mozz sticks. No salt or depth of flavor and tasted like acidic vomit. Gross. Never again. I'm a cook for a living but I'm not a food snob – but bad service, bad food and bad value – never fly for me.